‘Everyone’s scared’: Pennsylvania’s coffee shops are hurting in the wake of tariffs

Abby Weaver, the owner of Pressed Coffee and Books in Pottsville, is no stranger to stress.

A little more than a year after she opened her shop in December 2018, the spread of COVID began. Since then, she’s seen extreme weather events such as flooding and drought, caused by climate change, prompt coffee prices to soar. 

Now come the tariffs. 

“I feel as though this year, in 2025, is kind of where things have started to actually level out for us post-COVID,” Weaver said. “And now tariffs are part of that. So, yes, it’s scary. I’m probably less scared than your average, because for the timeline for us, it’s just kind of par for the course.”

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods and services paid to the federal government by the businesses or consumers that are importing them.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has implemented a chaotic rollout of tariffs that he says are meant to jump-start American manufacturing but that business owners say will not, but instead will cause retailers to be forced to increase the prices their customers pay, which economists say could lead to a recession.

As of early May, Trump had imposed a 10% tariff on nearly all imported goods, a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum entering the United States, and a 145% tariff on most imports from China. Steeper tariff rates, which Trump originally announced in early April, could go into effect later; Trump temporarily held off on implementing those tariffs after stock markets tanked in response to his announcement.

The tariffs already applied have led to major corporations and small businesses alike increasing their prices to offset the increased costs they have to pay for the goods they’re importing, such as cars or aluminum cans for beer. Experts say consumers could soon see the effects of Trump’s tariffs, including increased prices for goods like small household appliances and toys.

Some coffee shop owners in Pennsylvania said they’ve already seen their expenditures, and consequently the prices they charge their customers, rise because of tariffs. Those owners can’t shift their sourcing to the U.S. because the U.S. simply can’t grow enough coffee beans to meet the demand. In an email to the Pennsylvania Independent, a National Coffee Association spokesperson noted that the overwhelming majority of coffee that Americans drink comes from outside the country. The association spokesperson said just 1% of the country’s coffee comes from Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

“The tariffs is another added layer to already inflated coffee prices,” Doug Pinto, the owner of Steel Cup Coffee Roasters in New Kensington, wrote in an email to the Pennsylvania Independent. “Coffee prices were already at all-time highs primarily due to flooding and drought in two of the largest coffee growing regions in the world – Brazil and Vietnam.”

“Since COVID, we are paying double, pretty much across the board, what we were paying per pound for green coffee,” Pinto continued. “Now all the importers are adding the 10% tariff tax onto each order. These prices are the worst I’ve seen in the almost 10 years in the roasting business.” 

To deal with these costs, Pinto said, his business has had to raise prices.

“Unfortunately, with no short-term hope the prices are going to recede , we’ve had no choice but to increase our prices on roasted coffee,” Pinto wrote. “Maybe if the tariffs are lifted and we see production pop back up from our major growing regions, we’ll see some better pricing. For now, lucky for us, coffee seems to be one of those things customers don’t want to live without.”

‘It’s definitely going to lead to less jobs’

The coffee shop owners the Pennsylvania Independent spoke with for this story described trying to do their best to keep their heads above water. It’s not just that they’re worried about tariffs causing their own prices to rise; they’re worried about a nationwide and global economic recession. Tariffs are just one part of a much larger problem, they said.

Brian Jones, a retired theater professor and the owner of The Artists Hand Gallery and Espresso Bar in Indiana, a borough in western Pennsylvania, is concerned that rising prices will cause life to resemble the early days of the pandemic, when communal gathering spaces sat empty and people remained at home. For now, his seats remain filled; the art shows at his coffee shop are well attended. But there is anxiety that this will change as consumers are hit with higher prices for a wide range of goods. 

“I’m really worried that it’ll be back to the COVID days,” Jones said. “We’ll decide to stay in. We won’t be going out. We won’t be joining others at an espresso bar for a social afternoon or a good morning chat or something like that.” 

For Jones, that’s especially worrisome because his coffee shop doubles as an art gallery where 35 local artists show their work. 

“We’re like a real estate agent for artists,” Jones said. “We represent them to the people who travel to Indiana County or live here, and I’m a little worried that discretionary income is going to be held on to by people because of the tariffs.”

It’s the tariffs combined with the possible economic downturn and sweeping budget cuts by the Trump administration that are making life especially worrisome right now, said Jake Schindel, the owner of the Ragged Edge Coffee Shop in Gettysburg. Tourism plays a major role in Gettysburg’s economy, but Schindel worries that budget cuts by the federal government will lead to a reduction in the number of tourists coming to the area. 

The Trump administration has fired thousands of people across the country, including at Gettysburg National Park, and it canceled in-person classes at the National Fire Academy in nearby Emmitsburg, Maryland. Visitors to the park and people attending the National Fire Academy have been significant contributors to the local economy.

“I survive on a lot of tourist business,” said Schindel, who opened his coffee shop as a Gettysburg College student in 2001 and lives in Gettysburg with his wife and two young children. “When we have less tourists, that means I can buy less stuff. And if I’m buying less stuff but paying more money than what I had been paying, that’s creating this double negative that doesn’t turn to a positive.

“So that’s going to affect jobs,” Schindel continued. “I’m going to be able to employ less people — at least one or two. I may need to get a second job just to help pay the bills so I can take care of my family. It’s definitely going to lead to less jobs in Gettysburg, and it’s going to lead to the economic detriment of Gettysburg.”

Determined to survive

Whatever happens in the coming days, the coffee shop owners say they are determined to survive. They may have to change a few things — add more lower-priced goods, for example — but they emphasized they’re not going anywhere.

That’s not to say they aren’t scared. 

Weaver speaks of her young staff, all of whom are 25 years old or younger and fear they could lose their jobs due to the rising prices — something that Weaver says will not happen. If the economy deteriorates, Weaver says, she’ll introduce more affordable items, such as lemonade, in order to ensure that customers can still spend time in a coffee shop that’s become an important gathering space in a small rural community without a lot of disposable income.

“Everyone’s scared,” Weaver said, adding that her experience during the early days of the COVID pandemic has built her resilience to these economic challenges.

“My staff, I think, has experienced more stress and real fear of, well, if everything goes up, will we have a job?” Weaver continued. “No matter what, you’re not going to lose your job over the tariffs. That is what I can do, because we will figure it out, because I need the business to run, too. This is also my life and my income. And that’s what a small-business owner, especially in a small community, is.”